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The morning came swiftly to the city. The band gathered in the courtyard once more. Friends were there to say their goodbyes. Ilara had wanted to get going but it seemed to her that morning had come all too soon for all of them. Aragorn's coronation had just been finished and he was not yet married to his love, Arwen, and now she was separating them. She was also separating friends and that was hard too, but it had to be done.
Five horses stood saddled and supplied at the edge of the courtyard. Ilara went to them as the others said goodbye. A certain pang came to her when Aragorn and Arwen kissed and embraced each other. She knew what he was saying to her. He was reassuring her that she would not even notice the time between them leaving and returning and that he promised her that they would return. She suspected Faramir was doing the same with Eowyn.
With final farewells, the four joined her and claimed their mounts. Hers was a very light tan with black stockings and dark brown mane and tail highlighted with bronze. Aragorn claimed his Brego, a roan that had carried him since his ride in the river just after the Wargs attack on the people of Rohan during their way to Helm's Deep. Gandalf on his white Shadowfax, lord of all horses and the fastest horse there was in their land. Legolas on his white that he had had since their first meeting with Eomir while on their search for Merry and Pippin. Faramir was atop his chestnut that he had ridden on a suicide attack just before the attack on Minas Tirith had begun and had dragged him back to the city before the final attack had been launched.
They rode out of the city just before the sun came up, five cloaked figures moving across the plains. There had been a meager breakfast earlier but she had eaten nothing and the others little. She was beginning to feel it now, her stomach twisting in knots, and now she didn't know whether to be grateful she had not eaten. By noon they reached a patch of giant boulders and Ilara dismounted.
"This is as far as we need to go," she announced. The others dismounted as well and stood next to their mounts.
"Now what?" asked Faramir.
"Keep one hand against some part of your horse and make sure you are touching them and not the tack. Then, each of you needs to grab my hand or arm and also make sure to touch some skin. Otherwise it will not work and you will be left behind."
"Why won't it work? For curiosities sake" Gandalf questioned.
"Transport magic is different from any other kind if you are transporting more than one person. The magic flows through the wielder, through their flesh and blood. Since it does not flow through you, you cannot transport yourselves, not to mention you don't know where you are going. By touching skin to skin I can channel it through you so that we are bound together."
"Very well then."
They each placed their hand against their horses' necks. Except for Ilara, who grabbed hold of the right side of her horses bridle, pressing her left hand against its cheek. Then they touched skin to skin; Aragorn at her hand, Gandalf at her lower arm, Faramir at her upper arm, and Legolas at her elbow. They stood there for a moment, none entirely sure what was going to happen, even Ilara. She had only done this once and only with one person, herself. In all honesty, she was praying that it would work.
Then she felt a tingling sensation begin in her chest. It began to grow and surge through her. She felt it flow through her arms, heard the horses whiney and the men gasp as they to felt the magic in themselves. The tingling soon began to glow with an amber light coming from all of their chests. Slight pain followed and they cried out. The light became a blinding white and then. . .
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